See inside the Cold War nuclear bunker under Edinburgh

This once secret bunker was Scotland's first line of defence against the threat of nuclear war.

Buried 100ft (30m) beneath Corstorphine Hill in Edinburgh, it was declassified in 1955 and has remained largely unknown for decades.

Built in 1944 and expanded in 1951, the entrance to the 32,000sq ft underground building is secluded down a rough private track.

The military closed the site and in 1983 transferred ownership to Lothian Regional Council for use as an emergency control centre but later said it was too big for them and so they never really used it.

There have been different plans for the site of the former nerve centre, which has been hit stripped out and hit by fires set by vandals over the years, but it is hoped one day it could be brought back to life as a museum bunker.

22 March 2023

Explore More